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DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS Time: 45 Min. Date: 30-04-2021

Environment

New Fly Ash Utilisation Rule

Syllabus: GS 3/Environmental Pollution & Degradation

In News: Recently, the Centre government drafted the New fly ash utilisation rule for Thermal

Power Plants(TPPs).

Major Highlights

● It is mandatory for Thermal Power Plants(TPPs) to ensure 100% utilisation of fly ash

within three to five years.

○ Existing provisions allow TPPs to fully utilise fly ash in a four-year cycle in a

staggered manner.

● It also introduced fines of Rs 1,000 on non-compliant plants under the ‘polluter pays

principle’, taking into account utilisation targets from April 1 next year.

○ The 'polluter pays' principle is the commonly accepted practice that those who

produce pollution should bear the costs of managing it to prevent damage to

human health or the environment.

○ Under this,the collected fines will be deposited in the designated account of the

Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

■ The fine collected by CPCB from the TPPs and other defaulters shall be

used towards the safe disposal of the unutilised ash.

● It also deals with unutilised accumulated ash (legacy ash) where TPPs will have to utilise

it within 10 years from the date of publication of final notification in a staggered manner.

○ If the utilization of legacy ash is not completed at the end of 10 years, a fine of Rs

1000 per tonne will be imposed on the remaining unutilised quantity which has

not been fined earlier.

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Objectives and Need

● Fly ash utilisation in India has increased from nearly 10% in 1996-97 to the highest level

of over 83% during 2019-20, unutilised ash gets dumped in an environmentally

hazardous manner, polluting air, water and soil.

○ It aims to deal with environmentally hazardous fly ash generated from coal and

lignite based thermal power plants (TPPs).

What is Fly Ash?

● Fly ash is a byproduct of burning pulverized coal in thermal power plants.

○ During combustion, mineral impurities in the coal (clay, feldspar, quartz, and

shale) fuse in suspension and float out of the combustion chamber with the

exhaust gases. As the fused material rises, it cools and solidifies into spherical

glassy particles called fly ash.

● The low-grade coal used in thermal power generation carries 30-45% ash content. The

high-grade imported coal has a low ash content of 10-15%.

● Since most of the coal used in thermal plants is low-grade, it generates a large quantity of

ash which requires a large area as landfill or ponds for disposal.

● All fly ashes exhibit cementitious properties to varying degrees depending on the

chemical and physical properties of both the fly ash and cement.

● Composition

● Fly ash includes substantial amounts of silicon dioxide (SiO2), aluminium oxide

(Al2O3), ferric oxide (Fe2O3) and calcium oxide (CaO).

● Usage

○ It is an excellent material for making construction materials such as bricks,

mosaic tiles and hollow blocks.

○ Bricks made of fly ash can help conserve soil to a great extent.

○ There are several eco-friendly ways to utilise fly ash so that it does not pollute air

and water.

■ It includes the use of fly ash in the manufacturing of cement, ready-mix

concrete; constructing roads, dams and embankment, and filling of low-

lying areas and mines.

● Issues

○ Fly ash contains toxic and heavy metals.

○ The ponds where fly ash is usually dumped are poorly managed. Fly ash becomes

dry as temperature increases and gets airborne.

■ Thus, it becomes one of the major sources of air and water pollution.

■ Air in areas around coal-fired power plants is polluted with fly ash.

○ Apart from causing various diseases, it also leads to reduction in the recharging of

groundwater.

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Initiatives Taken

● Optimum utilization of fly ash: To facilitate 100% ash utilization by all coal based thermal

power plants, a web portal for monitoring of fly ash generation and utilization data of

Thermal Power Plants and a mobile based application titled “ASHTRACK” has been

launched by the Government.

○ Ash-park has developed, and awareness programme for utilisation of fly ash and

its products conducted at various platforms..

● Roles played NTPC: National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has developed an

infrastructure to transport fly ash from power plants in bulk to cement plants, at a cheaper

cost.

○ NTPC intends to transform the fly ash it produces into a revenue-generating by-

product.

○ It has developed geopolymer and nano aggregates from residual fly ash for use

in the construction of roads and houses is a manifestation of this.

Way forward

● Promoting R&D for increasing the efficiency of power plants will also help in reducing

ash generation.

● Proper management of fly ash is important for the environment and also for power plants

as it occupies a lot of land space.

Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)

● It is a statutory organisation under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate

Change.

● It was established in 1974 under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act and

later entrusted with functions and responsibilities under the Air (Prevention and Control

of Pollution) Act, 1981.

● The mandate of the Central Pollution Control Board is to set environmental standards in

India, lay down ambient standards and coordinate the activities of State Pollution Control

Boards.

Source: TOI

Health

Antimicrobial Resistance: The Silent Threat

Syllabus: GS2/Health

In News: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Antimicrobial resistance

(AMR) is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century.

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About

● Since January 2020, there have been over three million deaths globally on account of

COVID-19, starkly exposing the vulnerabilities of health systems to infectious disease.

● As serious as the current health and economic crisis is, COVID-19 can be the harbinger of

future crises. And, one such major crisis is Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).

● This could be the greatest challenge of the 21st century as amidst the pandemic there are

rampant use of antibiotics (For example: Azithromycin & other antibiotics used by most

of the people.)

What is Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)?

● Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites

change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat

and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.

Image Courtesy: Conservation

● Emergence and spread of AMR

○ AMR occurs naturally over time, usually through genetic changes.

○ Antimicrobial-resistant organisms are found in people, animals, food,

plants and the environment (in water, soil and air).

○ They can spread from person to person or between people and animals,

including from food of animal origin.

● The main drivers of antimicrobial resistance include the misuse and overuse of

antimicrobials, lack of access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for

both humans and animals, poor infection and disease prevention and control in

healthcare facilities and farms, poor access to quality, affordable medicines,

vaccines and diagnostics, lack of awareness and knowledge, and lack of

enforcement of legislation.

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Factors Causing AMR in India

● Inappropriate consumption of broad-spectrum (last resort) antibiotics is high because of

changing prescription practice in the healthcare system due to the non-availability of a

narrow spectrum of antibiotics.

● Inappropriate antibiotic use among the general public like Self-medication to avoid the

financial burden.

● The large proportion of sewage is disposed of untreated into receiving water bodies,

leading to gross contamination of rivers with antibiotic residues, antibiotic-resistant

organisms.

Image Courtesy: TOI

What are Antimicrobials?

● Antimicrobials - including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics - are

medicines used to prevent and treat infections in humans, animals and plants.

Challenges Posed by AMR

● Antibiotic resistance is emerging as the threat to successful treatment of infectious diseases,

organ transplantation, cancer chemotherapy and major surgeries.

● The issue of AMR causes out of pocket expenditure on health care, especially on medicines.

The use of high order drugs or second-line expensive antibiotics pushing treatment cost high.

● Neonates and elderly both are prone to infections and are vulnerable.

Global Concerns

○ It is a global health and development threat.

○ WHO has declared that AMR is one of the top 10 global public health threats facing

humanity. AMR is already responsible for up to 7,00,000 deaths a year.

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○ Unless urgent measures are taken to address this threat, we could soon face an

unprecedented health and economic crisis of 10 million annual deaths and costs of up to

$100 trillion by 2050.

○ Antibiotics are becoming increasingly ineffective as drug resistance spreads globally leading

to more difficult to treat infections and death.

■ All these effects will be felt globally, but the scenario in the low- and middle-income

countries (LMICs) of Asia and Africa is even more serious.

■ LMICs have significantly driven down mortality using cheap and easily available

antimicrobials. In the absence of new therapies, health systems in these countries are at

severe risk of being overrun by untreatable infectious diseases.

Image Courtesy: TOI

Various Initiatives Adopted In This Aspect

Global Efforts

● Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (GAP): Globally, countries committed

to the framework set out in the Global Action Plan1 (GAP) 2015 on AMR during the 2015

World Health Assembly and committed to the development and implementation of

multisectoral national action plans.

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● Tripartite Joint Secretariat on Antimicrobial Resistance: Tripartite joint secretariat

(FAO, OIE and WHO) has been established and is hosted by WHO to drive multi-

stakeholder engagement in AMR.

● Interagency Coordination Group (IACG) on AMR: It was convened by the Secretary-

General of the United Nations after the UN High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial

Resistance in 2016.

○ The IACG brought together partners across the UN, international organizations

and individuals with expertise across human, animal and plant health, as well as

the food, animal feed, trade to formulate a plan for the fight against antimicrobial

resistance.

● World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW): WAAW was previously called the

World Antibiotic Awareness Week. From 2020, it will be called the World Antimicrobial

Awareness Week.

○ It is a global campaign that aims to raise awareness of antimicrobial resistance

worldwide.

● Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS): WHO

launched it in 2015 to continue filling knowledge gaps and to inform strategies at all

levels.

○ GLASS has been conceived to progressively incorporate data from surveillance of

AMR in humans, surveillance of the use of antimicrobial medicines, AMR in the

food chain and the environment.

● Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP): A joint initiative

of WHO and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi), GARDP encourages

research and development through public-private partnerships.

■ By 2025, the partnership aims to develop and deliver five new treatments

that target drug-resistant bacteria identified by WHO as posing the

greatest threat.

● Country wise initiatives: A multi-sectoral $1 billion AMR Action Fund was launched in

2020 to support the development of new antibiotics, and the U.K. is trialling a

subscription-based model for paying for new antimicrobials towards ensuring their

commercial viability.

○ Peru’s efforts on patient education to reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions.

○ Australian regulatory reforms to influence prescriber behaviour, and initiatives to

increase the use of point-of-care diagnostics, such as the EU-supported VALUE-

Dx programme.

○ Denmark’s reforms to prevent the use of antibiotics in livestock have not only led

to a significant reduction in the prevalence of resistant microbes in animals, but

also improved the efficiency of farming.

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● India’s initiative

● To prevent the Over the counter sales of antibiotics, the central drug standard

control organization (CDSO) prohibits medical stores from selling 24 key

antibiotics without a doctor's prescription.

● India’s Red Line campaign: Which demands that prescription-only antibiotics be

marked with a red line, to discourage the over-the-counter sale of antibiotics– is a

step forward.

● National Health Policy, 2017, terms antimicrobial resistance as one of the key

healthcare issues and prioritizes the development of guidelines regarding

antibiotic use and check on restricting the growth of antibiotics.

● The National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP-AMR) 2017 has

assigned coordinated tasks to multiple government agencies involving health,

education, environment, and livestock to change prescription practices and

consumer behaviour and to scale up infection control and antimicrobial

surveillance.

● FSSAI has set certain guidelines limiting the antibiotics in food products such as

fish and honey.

Conclusion & Way Forward

● Till now, there are two major possible solutions to combat the AMR menace:

● Discovery of new drugs, before the emergence of resistance in germs; and prudent use of

available antibiotics.

○ The discovery of a new drug is an expensive and unpredictable process, the

estimated cost for developing a new antibiotic exceeds $1 billion.

● The second solution is the best possible solution i.e. to use the available antibiotics

carefully to ensure their efficacy for as long as possible.

● Other steps: AMR requires a united multisectoral approach.

○ Efforts to control prescription through provider incentives should be

accompanied by efforts to educate consumers to reduce inappropriate demand,

issue standard treatment guidelines.

○ Policy alignment is also needed much beyond the health system. Solutions in

clinical medicine must be integrated with improved surveillance of AMR in

agriculture, animal health and the environment.

Source: TH

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Indian Economy

Guidelines On Compensation of Mutual Fund Employees: SEBI

Syllabus: GS3/ Indian Economy & related issue.

In News: Recently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has said that a minimum

20% of the compensation of mutual fund managers in an asset management company (AMC)

should be in the form of units of the mutual fund schemes they manage.

● An asset management company (AMC) is a firm that invests pooled funds from clients,

putting the capital to work through different investments including stocks, bonds, real

estate, master limited partnerships, and more.

Changes proposed by SEBI

● A minimum of 20 percent of the salary/perks/bonus/non-cash compensation (gross

annual cost-to-company) net of income tax and any statutory contributions (provident

fund and national pension scheme) of the key employees of the AMCs shall be paid in the

form of units of MF schemes in which they have a role and oversight.

● Units allotted to key employees shall be subject to clawback in the event of violation of

code of conduct, fraud, gross negligence by them, as determined by Sebi.

○ Upon clawback, the units shall be redeemed and the amount shall be credited to

the scheme.

○ A clawback is a contractual provision whereby money already paid to an

employee must be returned to an employer or benefactor, sometimes with a

penalty.

● The units obtained as compensation will be subject to a lock-in period of three years.

Image Courtesy: BS

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Reasons for changes announced by SEBI

● The primary objective of the new rule is to align the interest of the key employees of the

AMCs with the unit holders of the mutual fund schemes.

● The SEBI wants fund managers to demonstrate to investors that they have confidence in

the schemes they manage.

Implication of new SEBI rule on investors

● The move by SEBI will boost the transparency of fund manager compensation and also

helps build accountability.

● It ensures that fund houses actually link the pay of fund managers to performance and

go beyond lip service.

● It could encourage whistleblowing if wrongdoing is happening.

● It will give a lot of psychological comfort to investors that their fund manager has skin

in the game.

Arguments from Mutual Fund industry against new SEBI rule

● The common refrain from mutual fund CEOs has been that SEBI’s intention is good but

the rules are too clunky to follow.

● The rule by SEBI, which in effect specifies percentages of investments in different schemes,

could conflict with the personal finance goals of the fund managers.

● It could even lead to a flight of talent from the industry.

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)

● It was established on April 12, 1992 in accordance with the provisions of the Securities

and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992.

● It is a statutory body which is constituted as the regulator of capital markets in India

under a resolution of the Government of India.

● Aim: To protect the interests of investors in securities and to promote the development

of, and to regulate the securities market.

○ It is the regulator of the securities and commodity market in India owned by

the Government of India

Source: BS

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Polity & Governance

Government of National Capital Territory (GNCT) of Delhi

(Amendment) Act, 2021

Syllabus: GS2/Features & Amendments

In News: Recently, the Government of National Capital Territory (GNCT) of Delhi

(Amendment) Act, 2021 came into force.

Rationale Behind This

● Section 44 of the 1991 GNCT Act deals with the conduct of business and there is no

structural mechanism for effective time-bound implementation of the said section.

○ Section 44 of the 1991 Act says that all executive actions of the L-G, whether taken

on the advice of his Ministers or otherwise shall be expressed to be taken in the

name of the LG.

● Further, there is no clarity as to what proposal or matters are required to be submitted to

Lieutenant Governor before issuing an order thereon.

Key Highlights of the Act

● It amended Sections 21, 24, 33 and 44 of the GNCT of Delhi Act, 1991

○ According to the legislation, the "government" in Delhi means the "Lieutenant

Governor."

● The city government will now mandatorily have to take the opinion of the L-G

before taking any executive action.

● The Act defines the responsibilities of the elected government and the L-G along

with the “constitutional scheme of governance of the NCT” interpreted by the

Supreme Court in recent judgements regarding the division of powers between

the two entities.

● It will also seek to ensure that the L-G is “necessarily granted an opportunity” to

exercise powers entrusted to him under proviso to clause (4) of Article 239AA of

the Constitution.

● This particular clause provides for a Council of Ministers headed by a

Chief Minister for the NCT to “aid and advise the Lieutenant Governor”

in the exercise of his functions for matters in which the Legislative

Assembly has the power to make laws.

● It will also provide for rules made by the Legislative Assembly of Delhi to be

“consistent with the rules of the House of the People” or the Lok Sabha.

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Criticism

● It is an unholy attempt to curtail the powers of a democratically elected Government

○ It is an affront not only to the will of the people but to the spirit of federalism

● It is being argued that by virtually handing over executive powers to the Lieutenant

Governor, the government has acted against the spirit of the Supreme Court ruling that

aimed to safeguard the elected government of Delhi from undue interference or obstacles

from the Lieutenant Governor.

● The amendment stipulates that the State government shall obtain the Lieutenant

Governor’s opinion on its decisions before taking executive action on them.

○ This prevents the government from urgently acting in case of an emergency as it

would have to wait for the Lieutenant Governor’s assent/viewpoint.

● Significantly, the Lieutenant Governor is not obliged to give his opinion to the State

government within a time frame.

● Critics argue that the Lieutenant Governor could politically exploit these unbridled

powers to hamper the government’s administrative work and thus turn the political tides

against the incumbent if he so desires.

○ That truly would undermine the interests of the party in power and also of the

people.

Union Government's Stand

● Government has attempted to contradict all the above observations.

● This will increase the administrative efficiency of Delhi and will ensure a better

relationship between the executive and the legislator. This is a technical Bill. This is not a

Bill related to politics.

● It will bring accountability and overall transparency in governance.

● The amendments have been brought to remove ambiguities in the existing Act and

stressed that changes in the law have been sought in the spirit of what has been said in a

Supreme Court judgment.

● It will further define the responsibilities of the elected government and the L-G, in line

with the constitutional scheme of governance of Delhi.

Previous Issue between Lieutenant Governor and Delhi Government

● The genesis of the act lies in the administrative tug of war between the Aam Aadmi Party

(AAP) led-Delhi government and then Delhi Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Najeeb Jung

immediately after the former came to power for a second stint in 2015.

● Between early 2015 and mid-August 2016, several orders issued by the Delhi government

related to the matters such as transfer of bureaucrats, setting up of Commissions of

Inquiry and the administration of the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB), were either

declared void or reversed by the L-G citing procedural lacunae ranging from lack of

approval from his office to not being constitutionally empowered to take such decisions.

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○ Over the years, there was friction between the Chief Minister and the Lieutenant

Governor over power-sharing.

○ The focal point of these conflicts was that in case of a difference between the

Lieutenant Governor and the Council of Ministers on any matter, the matter was

to be referred to the President by the Lieutenant Governor for his decision and

pending such decision the Lieutenant Governor was empowered to take any

action on the matter as he deemed right.

● The issue was taken by the Delhi government to the Delhi High Court which, in August

2016, held that the L-G had “complete control” of matters related to the NCT and

“nothing will happen without the concurrence of the L-G.”

○ However, the judge held that the L-G was bound by the aid and advice of the

Council of Ministers on some matter.

■ The Delhi government then moved the Supreme Court.

Judgement of the Supreme Court:

● The Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, in Government of NCT of Delhi vs Union

of India in 2018, held that the government was not under obligation to seek the

concurrence of the Lieutenant Governor on its decisions and that any differences between

them should be resolved keeping in view the constitutional primacy of representative

government and cooperative federalism.

● The Supreme Court ruled that the Lieutenant Governor should attempt to resolve the

differences within the framework of the law and the Transaction of Business Rules before

he decided to refer a matter to the President.

○ Essentially, the Supreme Court judgment made it extremely difficult for the

Lieutenant Governor to refer such matters to the President.

The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991

● Delhi’s current status as a Union Territory with a Legislative Assembly is an outcome

of the 69th Amendment Act through which Articles 239AA and 239BB were introduced

in the Constitution.

○ Article 239AA provides that the Union Territory of Delhi be called the National

Capital Territory of Delhi and its administrator shall be known as Lt. Governor.

■ This article provided Delhi with an Assembly, fully elected, and a

Council of Ministers responsible to the Assembly. It stipulated that the

Delhi Assembly could legislate on all matters in the State List as well as

the Concurrent List except land, police and public order..

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○ Article 239AB provides that the President may by order suspend the operation

of any provision of Article 239AA or of all or any of the provisions of any law

made in pursuance of that article. This provision resembles Article 356

(President’s Rule)

● For all practical purposes, the GNCTD Act outlines the powers of the Assembly, the

discretionary powers enjoyed by the L-G, and the duties of the Chief Minister with

respect to the need to furnish information to the L-G.

Source: TH

Social Justice

Child Marriage

Syllabus: GS 2, Government Policies & Interventions, Welfare Schemes, Mechanisms, Laws,

Institutions & Bodies for Protection & Betterment of these Sections.

In News: Recently, incidents of child marriage have surfaced across the country raising serious

concerns.

Child Marriage

● It is a marriage or union before the age 18.

● Child marriages in parts of Europe and Central Asia may reflect a hardening of gender

attitudes that reinforce stereotypical roles for girls and limit their opportunities.

● Child marriage is often linked to patriarchal attitudes towards girls, including the need

to safeguard family ‘honour’.

● While some boys marry before the age of 18, the vast majority of children who marry are

girls, often against their will and with grave consequences.

Impacts

● It has a disproportionate impact on girls and curtails their education, compromises their

health and traps them in poverty, undermining their prospects and potential.

● Child brides experience isolation from their family, friends and communities, as well as

violence, abuse and exploitation.

● Girls who marry early often become pregnant while they are still children themselves,

with great risks for their own well-being and that of their babies.

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● There are clear links between child marriage and school drop-out, with girls who are

married before the age of 18 less likely to be in school than their peers, and girls who drop

out of school more likely to be married.

● Rescued children are not produced in most cases before the Child Welfare Committees

(CWCs) and are often sent back to their parents if they are produced before the CWC

resulting in forced marriage in secrecy.

● Others are forced to reside in the same socioeconomic cultural situation, leading to

frustration and anxiety.

● Those who stay with their parents, face adversity and humiliation every day and such

instances are discouraging adolescents to raise their voice against child marriage.

Legislative Protection

● Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929: It restricts the practice of child marriage.

● Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006: It was enacted to address and fix the

shortcomings of the Child Marriage Restraint Act.

● Special Marriage Act, 1954 and Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006: These prescribe

18 and 21 years as the minimum age of consent for marriage for women and men

respectively.

● Juvenile Justice Care and Protection Act, 2015: Powers to safeguard the best interests of

India’s children.

○ For this purpose, Child Protection Committees, Child Protection Units and CWCs

have been formed and are functioning at the district level.

● Committee by the Ministry for Women and Child Development: To examine matters

pertaining to age of motherhood, imperatives of lowering Maternal Mortality Ratio

(MMR) and the improvement of nutritional levels among women.

● District Child Protection Unit (DCPU): Responsible for identification and rescues

children in need of care and protection.

● District Child Protection Committee: These are headed by the Chairperson of the Zilla

Parishad and are nodal organisations at the district level to review and monitor the work

related to ensuring child rights.

● State governments are trying to reduce child marriages to zero by 2030.

● Sustainable Developmental Goal (SDG) 5: It deals with gender equality and

empowerment of all women and girls with an aim to prevent child marriage.

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Suggestions

● After stopping a child marriage, the relatives should be monitored and the child should

be provided with support and protection.

● Strategies to delay or prevent child marriage:

○ Empower girls with information, skills and support networks.

○ Provide economic support and incentives to girls and their families.

○ Educate and rally parents and community members.

○ Enhance girls’ access to a high-quality education.

○ Encourage supportive laws and policies.

● In order for the next generation of development programmes to make ending child

marriage a priority, policymakers must pay attention to these strategies while

continuing to test innovative approaches and evaluation techniques.

● There should be focus on those girls who are most at-risk and mobilise those who

influence families and wider society to give girls more control over their own lives and

prospects.

● It should be addressed through programming across sectors to tackle the many aspects

of this harmful practice, particularly in marginalized communities.

● Ending child marriage involves tackling the many challenges that perpetuate this rights

violation, such as gender inequality and discrimination, lack of education, and poverty.

Source: DTE

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Facts in News

Financial Stability and

Development Council

(FSDC)

● It is a non-statutory apex council under the Ministry of

Finance constituted by the Executive Order in 2010

○ The Raghuram Rajan Committee (2008) on

financial sector reforms first proposed the creation

of FSDC.

● Composition of FSDC

○ Chairperson: The Union Finance Minister of India.

● Members: Governor Reserve Bank of India (RBl),

Finance Secretary and/ or Secretary, Department of

Economic Affairs (DEA), Secretary, Department of

Financial Services (DFS), Secretary, Ministry of

Corporate Affairs, Chief Economic Advisor,

Ministry of Finance.

● Other members include the Chairman of SEBI,

IRDA, PFRDA and IBBI

○ The FSDC Sub Committee is Chaired by the

Governor of the RBI.

■ All the members of the FSDC are also

members of the Sub-committee.

● Aims and Objectives

○ To strengthen and institutionalise the mechanism

of maintaining financial and macroeconomic

stability.

○ Financial literacy & literacy.

○ Coordinating India’s international interface with

financial sector bodies such as the Financial Action

Task Force (FATF) and Financial Stability Board

(FSB).

Palladium

● Palladium is a chemical element with the symbol Pd and

atomic number 46.

● It is a shiny white metal in the same group as platinum,

along with ruthenium, rhodium, osmium, and iridium.

● Most of it is extracted as a byproduct in the mining of other

metals, usually platinum and nickel.

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Image Courtesy Britannica

● The majority of the world's palladium comes from Russia

and South Africa.

Image Courtesy: ET

Usage

● Its key commercial use is as a critical component in catalytic

converters - a part of a car's exhaust system that controls

emissions - found mainly in petrol and hybrid vehicles.

● About 85% of palladium ends up in the exhaust systems in

cars, where it helps turn toxic pollutants into less harmful

carbon dioxide and water vapour. It is also used in

electronics, dentistry and jewellery.

Char Dham Pilgrimage ● Chardham in Uttarakhand is a pilgrimage to four

destinations – Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and

Badrinath.

● All of these four sites are devoted to a specific deity.

○ Gangotri is dedicated to the Goddess Ganga,

○ Yamunotri is dedicated to the Goddess Yamuna,

○ Kedarnath is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of

the 12 jyotirlingas,

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○ Badrinath, which is also part of India’s Char Dham,

is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

What is the Char Dham Project?

● Char Dham National Highway (NH) project comprises

improvement as well as the development of 889 km length

of national highways and was launched by the Ministry of

Road Transport & Highways.

● It will connect Badrinath Dham, Kedarnath Dham,

Gangotri, Yamunotri, and part of the route leading to

Kailash Mansarovar yatra.

● Environmentalists had pointed out that the unregulated

cutting of tries and scooping up land at the base of the hills

is irreversibly damaging the ecosystem.

Image Courtesy:TH

MACS 1407 ● It is a newly developed high-yielding, pest-resistant, low

water and fertiliser requiring soybean variety.

● Named after Maharashtra Association of Cultivation of

Science.

● It has been developed by scientists from Agharkar Research

Institute (Pune) and Indian Council of Agricultural

Research (ICMR) New Delhi.

● It is resistant to major insects and pests like girdle beetle,

leaf miner, white fly and defoliators.

● It is suitable for rain-fed conditions of north-east India

and for Assam, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh

as well.

● The new seeds will be made available to farmers for sowing

during the 2022 Kharif season.

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Image Courtesy: BL

PM Kisan ● It is a Central Sector Scheme and is being implemented by

the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

● It aims to supplement the financial needs of the Small and

Marginal Farmers (SMFs) in procuring various inputs to

ensure proper crop health and appropriate yields and

commensurate with the anticipated farm income at the end

of each crop cycle.

● Provisions

○ Rs. 6000 per year is transferred in three instalments

directly into bank accounts of the farmers.

○ It covers all farmer families in the country

irrespective of the size of their landholdings.

○ Special provisions for the North-Eastern States

with community-based land ownership rights,

Forest Dwellers and Jharkhand (Not up-to-date

land records and restrictions on land transfer).

Vaccine Maitri

Initiative

● It was initiated by the Ministry of External Affairs,

following requests from for the supply of Indian-

manufactured vaccines.

● Aim: To supply Covid-19 vaccines to different nations

across the globe.

● India has supplied over 64 million doses to more than 80

countries till now as grant assistance, under commercial

basis and through the COVAX initiative.

● Under the Partnerships for Accelerating Clinical

Trials(PACT) programme, India has also provided training

to several neighbouring countries to enhance and

strengthen their clinical capabilities.